1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for controlling a paging alert tone of a mobile station in a mobile communication system, and in particular, to a method for controlling a level of a paging alert tone of a mobile station located in a specific cell or location by using a broadcasting channel (BCH) in a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) mobile communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional CDMA mobile communication system primarily provides a voice service. However, a future CDMA mobile communication system will support the IMT-2000 standard which can provide a data service as well as the voice service. The IMT-2000 standard can provide a high-quality audio service, a moving picture service, and an Internet search service.
With the popularization of the mobile station (or mobile telephone), one may hear the noisy paging alert tone or ringing virtually anywhere. In public places such as a theater and a conference room, the paging alert tone of the mobile station often disturbs those around the user. It is courteous to decrease a level of the paging alert tone of the mobile station or set an operating mode (or alert type) of the mobile station to a vibration mode or a mute mode in the public places. Conventionally, however, the user must manually manipulate the mobile station to decrease the level of the paging alert tone or set the operating mode to the vibration mode or the mute mode, which is time consuming and sometimes forgotten.
The conventional mobile communication system determines, upon detecting paging of a mobile station, where the mobile station is presently located by using an ID (or telephone number) of the corresponding mobile station. Core netwok provides this information (Mobile's ID and located position) to a radio network controller (RNC) which manages a corresponding cell. A base station then transmits a paging message to the corresponding cell, under the control of the RNC.
FIG. 1 shows a method for generating a paging alert tone of the mobile station in a conventional mobile communication system. Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile station periodically examines a corresponding paging group of a paging indicator channel (PICH). If the mobile station detects a paging occasion, in step 110, the mobile station determines whether its own ID exists in the paging message of paging channel (PCH). If its own ID exits in the paging message, the mobile station generates in step 120 a paging alert tone in a specific type (or mode) on a specific level, the type and level of the paging alert tone being previously determined by the user. That is, upon detecting a paging message including its own ID while examining the paging message assigned to it, the mobile station performs a page match procedure, and generates a paging alert tone or takes a corresponding action in order to inform the user of the incoming page or call. Here, the mobile station can be set by the user to either the mute mode, such as the vibration mode, or the normal alarm mode in which the paging alert tone is generated to inform the user of existence of paging. When the conventional mobile station is set to the alarm mode, it generates a paging alert tone of a specific type and at a specific level, the type and level of the paging alert tone being previously determined by the user. The user can preset the type and level of the paging alert tone. If paging occurs, the mobile station generates the paging alert tone in the preset type on the preset level for the user.
The problem with the current state of mobile station paging alerts is that any time the user wants to change the tone and level of an alert because of the quieter surroundings he enters into, the user must manually reset the tone and level settings of the mobile station.